A Plague of Spiders: Test Subject

Originally published November 14, 2014

For the next 4 weeks, I'll be presenting a Hunter: the Vigil convention game I ran for DunDraCon 2014. Entitled Retrieval Team Zeta: A Plague of Spiders and using the new World of Darkness 2nd edition rules, it features a cell of Cheiron Group hunters as they engage in one of their first missions as a team. As might be expected casualties may be high. A full listing of available articles on this adventure can be found here.

Today I'll present another character who shouldn't be a monster hunter, a test subject whose drug cocktail lets them see the unseen.

Like all of the characters, I did not give him or her a name leave that and much of the character's physical description to the player. What has been decided is the background, skills and personality of the character.

Test Subject

Employee Number X071220100140

Background: On second thought a degree in Art might not have been a good choice.

After getting out of school with no job prospects and few buyers for your wood carvings, you decided to earn a bit of cash by volunteering for a medical research program. You followed the strict drug regime and chronicled all of your experiences.

At first you though they gave you the placebo. You felt the same with none of the twitchiness and mood swings they warned you about. The money was good and you even got some buyers for your art.

Then you started to see them. Ghosts haunting the streets, monsters who gathered in the park after hours, the giant raven that would perch outside your window every night. You took some self-defense classes just to feel safe. You couldn't be sure if they were hallucinations or real. Your dreams were filled with nightmarish visions of the creatures. The doctors noted down what you saw but didn't tell you anything.

Then one day you heard that the police broke up a drug gang in the park. You didn't see the monsters after that. The ghosts disappeared after the city did some construction there. You thought maybe the symptoms were going away.

Then the company told you that they were putting you in a special team. A team to hunt monsters. They pointed out that the release forms you signed when you started the treatment guaranteed heavy fines if you tried to quit or tell anyone about their work. Now you are stuck with the nightmares.

Sample Names: Jennifer Reed, Brad Robinson, Terri Richards

BNSX-8 Treatment: Thanks to a strict drug regime, you can pierce supernatural illusions. Spend 1 Willpower to activate it for a scene. While on the treatment the Storyteller can activate it as well for free. In that case roll Resolve + Composure to avoid gaining the Flashbacks Condition.

Tactics: Stake Out, System Shock

Flashbacks

You suffer flashbacks from the horrors you sometimes glimpse. These sometimes intrude into your dreams, turning them into terrifying nightmares. You cannot regain Willpower from sleep while under this Condition.
Resolution: Choose to have the flashbacks occur while doing a critical action. You suffer a -3 penalty to any rolls during this period. Alternatively lose a night of sleep due to the nightmares the flashbacks cause.
Beat: n/a

Character Sheet

Supplemental Sheet

The supplemental sheet includes game mechanics for the character's Merits and gear as well as the material above.